“Third child?” The young man pondered for a moment, then smiled. “So you’re the third younger sister.”

The man’s frivolous expression and the light, flippant tone when he called her “third younger sister” made Li Jiǎo’s skin crawl with goosebumps, making her feel nauseous.

She had almost—just almost—been married to such a man!

“Yes, I am the third miss of the Li residence.” Having already spoken, Li Jiǎo’s tone became resolute.

Li Zhao had been abducted before and had already lost her reputation. Moreover, seeing Li Zhao’s attitude, she clearly didn’t care how terrible her reputation became. But Li Jiǎo was different.

She had lost her mother at a young age and had already had her engagement broken off. If today’s events were to spread, she would have no way to survive.

“Young Master Jia, now that you know my identity, please let me go. I’m not a girl from the brothel, nor am I from some small household. Why would you want to cause yourself such trouble? Don’t you agree?” Li Jiǎo had been having difficult days recently and had lost considerable weight. Her originally oval face had become gaunt with a sharp chin. As she pleaded with her moist eyes wide open, she looked pitifully touching.

Thinking that the young lady before him had nearly become his sister-in-law, the young man’s desire burning in his lower abdomen not only didn’t subside but flared even higher.

He reached out to pinch Li Jiǎo’s chin, grinning as he said, “Who told you I’d let you go just because I know your identity? Who told you I’m afraid of trouble? My dear third sister!”

“Ah, let go of me!” As the young man pounced on her, Li Jiǎo couldn’t help but scream.

The young man embraced Li Jiǎo and pushed her onto the beauty couch, pressing his entire body down on her. “Go ahead and scream. What kind of place is this? Even if you scream your throat raw, no one will come to save you. Hehe, maybe someone would even be willing to join us for some fun—”

Li Jiǎo’s heart and liver were splitting with fear. When those disgusting, large hands suddenly grabbed at her chest, her remaining rationality completely crumbled. She grabbed the porcelain pillow from the beauty couch and struck it against the back of the young man’s head.

With a loud crash, the young man collapsed softly.

Li Jiǎo stared in horror at her now-empty hands, too shocked to even dodge the porcelain shards scattered all over the floor.

The young man lay motionless on the ground, with blood slowly flowing out.

She covered her mouth tightly, step by step shuffling toward the door. Only when she reached the door and her hand touched the wooden door did she regain some clarity.

Had she killed someone?

Had she killed the youngest son of the Earl of Changchun’s residence?

What should she do?

No, running out like this would be discovered immediately.

She couldn’t panic, couldn’t panic!

Li Jiǎo repeatedly convinced herself to calm down. Enduring tremendous fear, she walked back to the young man’s side, bent down to remove the silk headband that bound his hair, and with trembling hands tied up her loose hair before walking back to the door and pushing it open.

It was still morning, the quietest time for all the brothels and pleasure houses. Although their earlier commotion in the courtyard had attracted some onlookers, those people had returned to their rooms for more sleep.

Walking through the silent, empty courtyard, Li Jiǎo was terrified, dragging her weak legs and forcing herself to move forward. Suddenly, she stepped on something that flashed with light.

Li Jiǎo looked down and discovered she had stepped on the hairpin that the scoundrel had pulled from her hair earlier.

Li Jiǎo quickly picked up the hairpin and gripped it in her hand.

Fortunately, she had retrieved this hairpin. If it had been left here, it might have caused trouble.

Li Jiǎo quickened her pace. When she finally reached the side gate, her anxious heart became even more tense.

Chun Fang had just run out of here. She didn’t know what Chun Fang had said to the gatekeeper. If the gatekeeper noticed something was wrong and refused to let her out, that would be terrible.

Gripping the hairpin tighter, Li Jiǎo forced herself to calm down.

At this moment, she needed to keep her composure even more to escape with her life. As long as she could get through this gate, she would be fine.

Li Jiǎo assumed a calm demeanor as she walked to the side gate, smiling at the gatekeeper. “Auntie, please trouble you to open the door.”

The gatekeeper opened the door while asking, “Your maid just now—uh, why did your servant leave first? When I asked him, he just said there was an urgent matter, and his face looked so terrible.”

Li Jiǎo smiled. “We never found the person we were looking for. I had her quickly go check other places.”

“I see. But our Bichun Tavern is the best in the capital. Looking at your appearance, you’re clearly from a wealthy family. If the person you’re looking for isn’t here, maybe he didn’t come to these kinds of places at all.”

These proper wives are such pitiful people. Look, to find their husbands, they even disguise themselves as men to sneak into brothels. How difficult it must be.

The gatekeeper sighed inwardly and couldn’t help but take another look at Li Jiǎo. Suddenly, she noticed a glaring red stain on her hem.

The gatekeeper’s eyes narrowed, and she reached out to block the already-opened door. “Oh my, what is this—”

Li Jiǎo followed the gatekeeper’s gaze, and her heart dropped.

Had she been discovered?

Some people, when pushed to the brink, completely lose their will to resist. Others, however, will do things they would never normally dare to do.

Li Jiǎo belonged to the latter category.

At this critical moment, she didn’t hesitate to raise the hairpin in her hand and viciously stab it into the gatekeeper’s arm.

The gatekeeper let out a piercing scream.

Taking advantage of the gatekeeper’s loosened grip, Li Jiǎo pushed her aside and ran out.

The gatekeeper clutched her bleeding arm and shouted, “Something terrible has happened! Murder!”

The gatekeeper’s screams immediately alerted the brothel’s enforcers.

“What’s happening?”

“Someone disguised as a man snuck in, saying she was looking for her husband. But when she tried to leave just now, I noticed blood on her clothes! She must have killed her husband. Dear heavens—” The gatekeeper, thinking of her massive mistake and stimulated by the blood streaming from her arm, rolled her eyes back and fainted.

The lead enforcer had no time to care for the gatekeeper. He waved his hand and said, “Quick, search everywhere and see if anyone’s been hurt!”

Their Bichun Tavern was one of the capital’s top brothels. The clients who came here for entertainment were either wealthy or noble. If someone had been killed here, the trouble would be enormous.

As for the escaped murderer, since she had come looking for her husband, once they found the victim, they would naturally know who the killer was.

The courtyard was thrown into chaos as a group of people searched everywhere, finally finding the room where the youngest son of the Earl of Changchun was staying.

When the door was pushed open, the pungent smell of blood hit them in the face.

Seeing the person lying on the ground, many people cried out in shock, “Heavens, isn’t this the young master of the Earl of Changchun’s residence!”

They knew the youngest son of the Earl of Changchun all too well—he had been a regular customer here since he was thirteen!

“Quick, quick, quick! Check if Young Master Jia is still breathing!”

While Bichun Tavern was in complete chaos, at Chunfeng Tavern, the silk tree flowers in the courtyard were blooming magnificently. The elegant canopy shielded the blazing sun, bringing coolness and tranquility to those conversing beneath the tree.

“Does Miss Li have some matter to discuss with me?”

Upon hearing this, Qiao Zhao felt inexplicably displeased.

Of course, she had come to find him because she had business, but why did this person speak in such an annoying way?

Couldn’t she come if she had nothing? This was a tavern—couldn’t she come here to drink?